BBC News - Catalan vote tests region's sense of independence

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8409454.stm
http://www.solidaritatcatalana.cat
Catalan towns and villages are holding an unofficial referendum to test support for breaking away from Spain entirely.

In 2006 the region passed a law defining Catalonia as a nation and creating more autonomy, but the Spanish government blocked the ruling.

However Catalans say they feel different from the rest of Spain, with their own language and culture - and some say the region's prosperity is subsidising the rest of the country.

Sarah Rainsford reports from Vic in Catalonia.

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[bylysi]

I support anybody wanting legitimate rights and freedoms. I hate politics all around but i support the wish of a people to be free and always will. The Catalans supported Kosovo independence so we will repay the debt.

[odiossea]

@25500 You say it's not worth to do a referendum because opinion polls already told us the result. Applying the same rule, any country would call an election, it would be enough with poll opinions and stadistics. Fortunately that's not the general case in democratic countries. The ONLY way for knowing exactly whether citizens of Catalonia want it to be a state or not is voting: one person, one vote.

BTW, there is more polls pointing about 40% in favor and 40% againts.

[swiv2d]

so why the need for a new country or state, why not enjoy the ride with the rest of the country?

[fillfucker]

WE SHALL DIE BEFORE THAN YIELD,FUCK SPAIN

[breizhcatalonia1993]

catalonia if we get independent. But i think that, letting NI apart, you Irish guys are quite anti-british.

[breizhcatalonia1993]

because it was created for make the people of the different regions to understand between themselves,when i was in the Veneto no one except the people in the restaurants speaked italian, they all speaked veneto language, in Friuli they speak Friulian or Slovenian as first language. in Aosta they speak French or Franco Provençal and First language, the Island of Sicily speaks sicilian, sardinia speak sardinian and catalan ( in a city that is part of italy and sardinia but that they should give to

[breizhcatalonia1993]

english as official language. Yeah, but in some of that countries ( Italy for example) in the areas with own language the feeling of independentism is very low (except in südtirol-trentino where they want to unite to austria , quite similar to NI) because italy has always had a policy of not-officialty-but-not-repress­ion of native languages of italy that are not italian, that is saw in that no one in italy speaks Italian as first language in Italy, just that language is the official one becau

[breizhcatalonia1993]

@GaeilgeSpraoi yeah well but in most of it it was not maked by force like Spain, yeah, that pisses me up, in spain people always says "England" instead of UK, now is a little better since spanish people can speak english or french and they discovered watching eurovision ( of which i am a die hard fan) that the whole country was named UK. About Scotland i think the same of Ireland, they had lost all its interest in preserve Gaidhlig and in fact i think Scotland was the first country to declare

[GaeilgeSpraoi]

@breizhcatalonia1993 Well I think the UK is a false construction. Why do people say England to mean the UK or Britain and seem to forget completely about Scotland and Wales and their culture and languages which are different? England is just one part of Britain in that respect. Most countries are a fares because cultural, linguistic and tribal borders tend to be completely different. Look at France for example.. I'm a linguist so for me, all of this is very interesting! Particularly the Basques!

[GaeilgeSpraoi]

@breizhcatalonia1993 Well I wouldn't identify as Pro-Spanish or anti-Spanish, but I respect the right of the Catalans and the Basques to self-determination. Well the main political Party would be Sinn Féin (Irish for 'Ourselves') and they'd push the concept of a United Ireland. As for language, the Catalans may have been oppressed for a while but nothing compared to the Irish. Yes the language should be Gaeilge but language revitalisation is never an easy process with English being so dominant

[breizhcatalonia1993]

their support ;) you want NI back and you seem to be pro-spanish but respecting the rights of catalans and basques to separate, that's exactly the same what i feel about scotland, wales, and NI. Also i see a very weak interest of Irish (Rep) for speak their language and stop to speak english, i think that first language of Ireland should be Irish. At the moment the party that wants reunification with Ireland that i like more is the SDLP, what do you think?

[breizhcatalonia1993]

@GaeilgeSpraoi That's what i am making, rethinking my position of Northern Ireland ;)

PD: do you think that, letting apart Northern Ireland, the UK should disband? and as i told you i have no problem in scotland becoming independent, or wales, if they are majority, let them make it, just that is not my preference.

PD: There are also a lot of Spanish that support the reunification of NI and at the same time say: "Fucking Catalans" "Puta Catalunya" "Gibraltar Español" and i hope you like